Forbidden Kingdom
by Zitianos
Summary: When Deidara moves to town, he discovers that nothing is what you seem, and death isn't permanent. AU, Sasori/Deidara ON HIATUS
1. Prologue

Forbidden Kingdom

Zitianos

NOTE: Please excuse any and all OOCness in the beginning, as it is entirely intentional and will be taken care of in future chapters. Also, Sasori will not show up in person for most likely quite a few chapters, besides this one prologue.

* * *

When Deidara transfers into his new school, he discovers that making friends is easier then he thought. But when he is plagued by the ghost living in his house, he finds his views on Humanity, and his very sanity, coming in to Question.

* * *

PROLOGUE

* * *

_Thy soul shall find itself alone_

_'Mid dark thoughts of the grey tomb-stone;_

_Not one, of all the crowd, to pry_

_Into thine hour of secrecy._

**-Edgar Allen Poe: Spirits of the Dead**

* * *

Bright white moon light shined on the figure dashing through the streets, lungs aching for relief as he slowly ran out of breath. He couldn't evade his pursuer for much longer. The shadows weren't safe for him, he stood out too much against the low-lives and criminals, but where else did he have to go? There was no one left at his home to help him, not any more, but he wouldn't have gone to _her_ anyways. His so-called _friends_ weren't coming back for him, but he'd figured out not to rely on them a long time ago. Even Kabuto had now abandoned him for the enemy.

For the first time in his short life, the boy truly felt alone. This was how he was going to die? Alone, and exposed, and broken? Was he not more deserving of a meaningful death? He'd never been the greatest person, but he wasn't like his enemy, he'd never be like Orochimaru. And yet, who would be the victor here? Clearly not him.

The slow, deliberate footsteps echoed in his ears, his every sense aware of his enemy's cronies lying in wait to ambush him. He was slowing down too much. They were going to catch him. Why was he the only one they were after? Had he really been that important to the group that they had to take him out first? Last time he checked, he wasn't the most powerful. No, he was definitely beat there. He might have been the smartest, but since his friends weren't exactly searching for brains, that was to be expected.

"Sasori… it won't be too painful, I promise." Orochimaru cooed, suddenly behind the boy - Sasori. No. He did not want to die like this. He didn't want to die at all, goddammit! What about his views? What about lasting forever? That was a dream he'd never be able to achieve now.

Orochimaru signaled to the shadows, his amber eyes lighted up in ecstasy, and suddenly Sasori was surrounded by members of Sound. The closest member - Kabuto, talk about adding insult to injury - delivered a swift, but most definitely hurtful, kick to his stomach, which sent him staggering to the ground. Orochimaru stood over him, grinning wickedly.

"Tie him up so he can't escape." The pale man ordered, and two more people rushed over, rope in hand. Quickly tying Sasori's hands behind his back, the two members stepped into the light, and Sasori could identify them easier now. Kimimaro and Juugo. Two of whom Sasori had also been friends with long ago. The duty was neatly executed, and the two quietest slipped back into the shadows.

Now, Orochimaru himself came forward, bending down on his knees so he could see Sasori's pretty face more clearly. When Sasori saw what he was holding, he knew what was coming.

Orochimaru worked quickly, filling the boy's pockets with heavy stones. Sasori felt the immense weight and now knew for sure what they were doing. They were going to drown him. Orochimaru looked up from his job, his grin becoming more pronounced as he saw Sasori's grimace.

"Not going to fight back?" Orochimaru asked, even though everyone in the alleyway knew the answer.

"If you're going to do this, I'd like it if you would start soon. I don't like waiting, as you surely already know." Sasori replied smoothly, the first words he'd spoken in days sounding like velvet, though they betrayed none of the anger towards his former friends he was feeling at the moment. How could they betray him for something as trivial as _that?_ He'd thought that they'd been close enough to not be torn apart so easily. And now, because of their betrayal, he was going to die. "I hope you're happy, Kabuto." He murmured, to no one in general.

All around him, shadows were laughing. Their forms flickered and danced in the low light of the lone street lamp beside them. Cold hands pulled Sasori up to a standing position, and immediately the shadows stopped their mad chatter, more attentive then they had been. It had been a while since they'd witnessed a murder; Orochimaru certainly couldn't have picked any better followers. He could feel their presences following him as Orochimaru led him towards the river.

"Have fun, little Sasori." His murderer whispered in Sasori's ear as they stopped at the edge of the dock. "I know you'll have enough for both of us, won't you? You really shouldn't have been involved of this. It always makes me sad to have to kill someone that could be so invaluable as a member. But it's too late now to repent." Sasori could feel the edge of the dock beneath him.

"Your time is up, little Sasori." Orochimaru cooed as he pushed the boy over the edge.

* * *

Yes, I know it was short. It was only the prologue after all. Anyways, Comments and Critiques are always welcome. I'm going to try and keep this on a schedule of updating every week, most likely on the weekends. I have a habit of discontinuing fanfics and then deleting them, but since I have a lot of motivation and I know exactly where this fic is going, that probably won't happen. Anyways, see you next week, or possibly sooner!

-Zitianos


	2. Stand Tall

Forbidden Kingdom

Zitianos

* * *

When Deidara transfers into his new school, he discovers that making friends is easier then he thought. But when he is plagued by the ghost living in his house, he finds his views on Humanity, and his very sanity, coming in to Question.

* * *

Stand Tall

* * *

"Of course. Yes Mom, I'll tell you all about my first day when I get back, un." Deidara spoke into the phone, leaning lightly on the counter. "I know. I miss you too, un. Only Three more months of fun by myself here, un." He couldn't help but laugh at his mother's worried voice. "Yes, I'll be sure to get everything settled with the Principle, un. I love you. Bye." As he hung up the phone, he sighed. It was going to be weird without his spacey mother there to get him used to his new home. Noticing that the clock on the wall read almost seven, he realized that he needed to get going if he didn't want to be late.

__

Bam.

The clock smashed onto the floor beside Deidara. How had that happened? He hadn't touched it, and the Nail was perfectly fine.

Was his new house haunted or something? Well, if it was, there was nothing he could really do about it.

* * *

"I'm Deidara. Where should I sit, un?" Deidara asked the brown haired man sitting in a teacher's desk at the front of the room. The man smiled, and the scar above the bridge of his nose stretched oddly over his kind-looking face.

"Hello Deidara." The man spoke softly. Deidara could tell that he wasn't going to like this teacher very much. He seemed like the type to be extremely nosy when it came to the business of his students. "I'm Mr. Umino, but you can call me Iruka if you'd like. I'm the Psychology teacher. If you need anything, please tell me. You can sit behind Konan, over there in the blue hair." It kind of made sense if you thought about it. The nicest teacher is the Psychology teacher.

Deidara nodded, and the girl, noticing that Iruka had pointed at her, raised her hand in greeting. Making his way over there, Deidara couldn't help but notice that all of the people sitting around her looked suspicious. Some kid had blue skin, another only had his eyes showing, and one had so many piercings it wasn't even funny. As soon as he sat down, Konan turned around in her desk to talk to him.

"Hello! I'm Konan." She chattered happily. "I like Origami" She pointed at the flower in her hair. "And this is my boyfriend, Nagato!" The kid with piercings looked over and nodded briefly. "What about you?"

"I'm Deidara. I like Art, and sculpting with clay, un." Deidara replied in a monotone voice, staring out of the window at the sky. How he wished he could fly up there with the birds. To be free to do whatever. Sleeping whenever he wanted, going wherever he wanted. Every time he didn't like a place, he could simply fly to a new one.

But not with this pitiful Human body. Without his art to sustain him, Deidara was never very happy.

"That's cool." Konan spoke, and the conversation died down, a stiflingly awkward silence filling the void.

"Good Morning students, would you please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance?" The principal's voice came on over the intercom. Deidara stood up with the rest of the students and, for lack of a more eloquent phrasing, pledged allegiance. The principal - Deidara idly remembered her name to be Tsu-something - finished up her announcements lazily, and Iruka started to speak about a few upcoming events in the school, which Deidara completely blocked out until the bell rang to go to their first class.

The rest of the day proceeded on in the same fashion.

* * *

During lunch, Konan dragged Deidara over to a table full of misfits. Apparently she had gotten it into her head, despite the fact that their first conversation was stagnant, at best, that they were now friends of some sort. Deidara didn't really relate well to people, none of them had taken enough interest in his art for him to want to.

Nevertheless, he'd been unceremoniously dropped into a seat next to a black-haired kid named Itachi. Now, Deidara had talked to this kid in the class they'd had before, and Deidara _did not like him one bit._ He was too quiet, but not 'shy', per se, simply emotionless. Odd. And he didn't seem to care about Deidara's art at all - in fact, the look in Itachi's eyes said that he thought he was _superior_.

As if anyone could ever be superior to Deidara.

The rest of the kids really weren't great lookers, either, and didn't seem very friendly. They looked to be the kind of people that you'd normally think were doing drugs after school and stealing from poor, defenseless, mom-and-pop-run kind of stores.

One kid, _Hidan,_ had freaky silver hair (obviously dyed or something), prayed to his god Jashin constantly, cursed a lot, and sacrificed things. Deidara didn't have anything against religion, but there was a fine line between worship and just plain _annoying._

The boy sitting next to Hidan, Kakuzu, had scars all over his face and was obsessed with money. From that, it just escalated. Nagato had way too many piercings, Zetsu was half black, half white (literally) and had green hair, Kisame was _blue,_ and Tobi wore an orange mask.

Eugh, Tobi.

He was undoubtedly the most _annoying_ kid on the face of the earth. There was just no way possible that anyone else could be _more_ annoying. And Deidara didn't even know why!

It wasn't like Tobi was extremely talkative, or anything. Most of the other kids thought he was cute, in an aw-he's-so-cute-like-my-little-brother kind of way.

Just the fact that he _existed_ bugged the living hell out of Deidara.

The only redeeming quality about his new 'friends' were that they were at least friendlier (somewhat) then they looked. Konan, despite the fact that Deidara hadn't thought much of her when they met, turned out to be a very interesting person. It was a shame she was already with that Nagato guy. Oh well. C'est La Vie.

Classes wise, Deidara was not impressed. None of the teachers seemed even remotely interesting, and the art teacher was a total _dumbass._ His mother had forced him to take Photography. She'd gotten a silly idea into her head that since he was good at art, he should photograph her clients and their outfits for her. He didn't mind photography that much, and photographing pretty ladies in skin-tight clothing was definitely a plus about his mother's little plan. Other then that, he was forced to take 'smart kid' classes, even though the only other class he was exceptional at besides art was Chemistry.

Well, actually, he usually failed Chemistry. Totally on purpose, though. Every time they were given a lab, Deidara knew _exactly_ how to make the chemicals react in a way that would cause major explosions.

Best class ever.

* * *

At the end of the day, Deidara was just sitting down in the kitchen to eat dinner when he froze.

__

The clock was back on its nail.

What the hell was going on?!

* * *

_Hey guys. I'm really sorry. I know I said I was going to update weekly, but I changed that. I'm probably only going to update every two weeks for now, because I'm working on a cosplay for Animazement, which is coming up way too soon. Anyways, see you guys uh... sometime?_

_As a general reminder to all, OOCness is fully intentional._


	3. Film Noir

Forbidden Kingdom

Zitianos

* * *

When Deidara transfers into his new school, he discovers that making friends is easier then he thought. But when he is plagued by the ghost living in his house, he finds his views on Humanity, and his very sanity, coming in to Question.

* * *

Film Noir

* * *

Deidara couldn't help but stare at the anomaly currently taking place. His mind was filled with clocks and various rumors he'd heard over the years about strange things such as this happening. That morning, he hadn't thought much of it when the clock shattered into so many tiny pieces, broken beyond all recognition. That wasn't _that_ big of a deal. Perhaps there was a draft in his house. No problem. He could handle that.

_This_, however, he couldn't handle.

There was no _way. _Clocks weren't immune to the laws of physics.

__

"Help me."

The voice, low and smooth, echoed in Deidara's mind several times before he realized someone was speaking. Glancing around wildly for intruders, he couldn't help but panic. The desperation in the voice combined with the Clock Situation (and yes, that needed capital letters) was certainly taking a toll on his sanity.

__

"Can you hear me?"

There was that voice again.

"Who are you, un?!" He blurted out, without thinking. How was this happening? Surely if there had been a robber, he wouldn't be speaking, would he? So then, the house really was haunted? The Clock Situation earlier hadn't really bothered him - it could easily have been an accident, but this? No, something definitely _messed up_ was going on here.

__

"…My name is Sasori."

Well, that said a lot. He'd never heard of anyone named 'Sasori.' Was this person really a ghost? Only one way to find out, unfortunately.

"Where are you, un?" Deidara asked, his voice almost a whisper. He liked to think that he had a good personality. He wasn't wimpy, and enjoyed going to see horror movies and the like, but seeing some special effects and actually having it happen in real life were totally different.

"_…Right behind you."_

White hot shivers danced down Deidara's spine, his breath short and quick. This was starting to sound _exactly_ like a horror film gone awry. Next thing he knew, this 'Sasori' person was going to be behind him with a chainsaw, right? Of course, logic told him that he should have heard, or seen, or even sensed the person, but it seemed all kinds of logic were being uprooted today. He glanced behind him, but the only thing there was the counter, where his lonely dinner was waiting to be eaten.

"_…You will not be able to see me."_

Oh god.

__

Oh god.

There really _was_ a ghost. No use denying it now.

__

"I need your help."

How was he supposed to respond to that?

__

'So, you're a ghost, right, un? That's pretty cool. I'd be happy to help you, un.'

Of course, he couldn't _really_ say that, so the only thing he was able to respond with was an eloquent, "Uh…"

__

"Please. I'm running out of time."

"But I don't even know who you are, un!" Deidara half-shouted at the space he assumed the voice to be coming from. He couldn't take this anymore. He needed to get out. Away from this house, away from the ghost. Everything was too creepy, and he felt like he was about to get sent to a psychiatric hospital.

* * *

Grabbing his jacket, Deidara walked out of the door and down into the street. The air outside was calming, and the sight of the sunset made Deidara feel less insane. The golds and reds mixed together into a beautiful symphony of colors, only to become a cool purple in the next few minutes. He loved he sunset, it reminded him of his art. There one minute, replaced by a new image the next.

He couldn't help but smile when he realized that his lighter was still in his pocket from when he'd taken it to school earlier. Obviously he didn't smoke, but he liked to take the lighter out and flick it on and off, watching the flames flicker in and out of life. He did it out of habit, mostly. It was something for his hands to do when he had no access to clay, and it reminded him of the explosions he used with his figures.

* * *

About an hour later, when his stomach was rumbling at the thought of his now cold dinner, and the night air around him was still, he began to head home.

As he was walking, he couldn't help but notice that the girl walking in front of him had pink hair. Astonishingly familiar pink hair. He knew her from somewhere.

"Sakura!" He called out, sure that it was her. He hadn't seen her in what, five years, since they were inseparable in eighth grade (Well, she had been in sixth grade at the time, but he had been in eighth). Sakura had been one of the few people he'd managed to make friends with over the years.

The girl turned around.

"…Deidara?" She questioned, uncertain. He nodded, and she smiled. "It seems like it's been forever!" Sakura was the daughter of a very rich client of his mother's. They'd known each other since the preteen years, and because her mother was constantly over for fittings (his mother was a very well-known fashion designer), they'd seen each other practically every day.

Sakura ran up to Deidara and hugged him.

"I missed you, un. How come you disappeared off of the face of the earth? It's not nice to people who worry about you, un!" He fussed, seemingly angry, but Sakura knew with the way the he embraced her tightly, that he was extremely happy. She let go of him and stepped back, scrutinizing how he'd grown up since she last saw him.

"Like what you see, yeah?" Deidara teased, his mouth curled into a devilish grin upon noticing her stare. Punching him lightly on the shoulder, she could help but giggle at his playful attempt at flirting.

"You're so skinny, Dei. Hasn't your mother been feeding you?"

"Well, Mother's in London with a big client for the next three months. I've been feeding myself. I'm actually really good at cooking, un. You should come over for dinner sometime." The last sentence earned him another punch, but it was worth it, seeing his best friend smile like that.

"Be quiet, you. Are you going to WI also, then?" Sakura asked, twirling a bit of hair around her finger. When he nodded, she laughed. "Good. There's a few people I want you to meet. What lunch do you have?"

"Eh, I can't meet with you at lunch tomorrow, un. I agreed to sit with some people I met today. But, I can see you and your group of friends at the movies tomorrow, un, since it'll be Friday?" Sakura agreed, and they talked a little more before each heading back to their own homes.

* * *

Deidara had to exhale in relief when he returned. No ghosts named for scorpions accosted him with talk of 'help' for the rest of the night, and he was able to complete his nightly duties with relative normalcy, looking forward to tomorrow, when he'd be able to see his new friends and his best friend.

* * *

After some time had passed, Deidara had realized several things about his new 'friends.'

First, they really weren't as friendly as he'd originally thought they were. Actually, they were quite mean. The only ones who really talked to him were Konan, Hidan, and (sometimes) Kisame. Well, Tobi talked to him quite often, but it was more of Tobi talking _at _him than an actual conversation.

Hidan teased him unmercifully about his long hair, even going so far as to call him 'Princess Deidara.' He didn't really like talking to Hidan because of this fact.

Sometimes Deidara could hold a conversation with Kisame, but the latter's pointy razor-sharp teeth, blue skin, and odd manner kept the two from talking for too long. Kisame had this weird way of speaking in which he would often inject threats into his sentences. Deidara wasn't fond of that.

Second, they beat up other kids. Frequently. All of them were violent and prone to lashing out, even Konan, and each of them had their own issues. According to Konan, who turned out to be a reliable source of information on their classmates, they were all gathered together because they had no other place to go, and every single one of them had their own goals that they needed the others for.

Of course, Konan wouldn't _tell_ him what the reasons were, but he got the point.

Third, they practically owned, and ran, the school. Students and teachers alike feared them, which brought about a feeling that he wasn't too familiar with. He'd never had control over so many people before, and he relished that triumph.

Deidara remembered in particular, one day when Itachi (that scumbag weasel) simply walked out of class. The teacher glanced up, about to reprimand him, but when he caught sight of who it was, he let him go, and continued teaching, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. The rest of the class never said a word about it.

Fourth, that he wasn't supposed to refer to Nagato by his given name unless he wanted his ass kicked. He was to refer to him as Pein, or he'd get punched in the face. He couldn't help but notice that everyone else called him 'Leader' and followed his every word.

Finally, they hated Sakura.

All of them.

When Deidara had announced that he was going to sit with Sakura and her friends for a day, each and every one of them turned livid.

All of them, save for Konan, had given him the cold shoulder since. For some reason, Konan stuck with him, even going so far as to join him at Sakura's table one day, where he'd taken up residence since being abandoned by his 'friends.'

* * *

It was during photography one day, about a week after they'd stopped talking to him, when he finally questioned Konan as to why they'd given him the cold shoulder.

"Konan?" He asked, as he adjusted the focus on the enlarger.

"Mm?" Konan didn't look up, absorbed in her own work.

"Why does everyone hate Sakura so much, un?" He nervously asked, afraid that she might abandon him also.

"…Sakura's not a very nice person to people she doesn't like." She replied after a while, turning bringing the sheet of paper she'd exposed over to develop it. "She thinks that we're bad, which she's right about, really. She's… part of the reason we're feared so much in this school. I'm sorry, but telling you any more would violate the Akatsuki's privacy."

"Akatsuki, un?" He'd heard Sakura refer to them as such, but he never knew what she meant by it.

"Us. We're Akatsuki."

"…Oh, un."

"If you hadn't decided to be friends with Sakura, we probably would have made you join. Nagato's still considering, actually."

"…If I join, will I have to abandon Sakura, un? She's my friend, my best friend, even, but… well… I can't tell you why, but being in the Akatsuki seems to be in my best interests, un." He had his own goals that he wanted to achieve, and abandoning someone he'd probably never talk to after high school wasn't as bad of a deal as it seemed to be.

"You probably would. I'm sorry."

Those words didn't surprise Deidara at all.

"…I think… I'd still like to join, Konan. …If you guys want me, that is, un."

"…I'll… see… what I can do, Deidara."

* * *

That night the ghost spoke to Deidara again.

_"I haven't forgotten about you, you know."_ It said. _"Please."_

Deidara sighed.

"What… what do you need me to do?" He immediately regretted asking that.

__

"I need you to dig up my body."

Well… that was… something. Deidara's ghost wanted him to grave rob its own grave.

"…Why, un?"

__

"None of your business, stupid kid."

Huh. The ghost had an _attitude._

"Is that any way to speak to someone who's supposedly _helping_ you, un?" He replied. The ghost seemed to have done a complete 180 from when he'd first spoken to it.

__

"I need to come back to life."

"Now we're getting somewhere. How do I come into all of this, un?"

__

"I need you to help me kill my murderer."

Um.

Wow.

So, this ghost was asking him to rob a grave, and murder a murderer.

He really _was_ living in a horror story, wasn't he? That sounded like a job for the Akatsuki, actually, now that he thought about it. They'd probably killed people before, hadn't they? It wasn't like they didn't _act_ like murderers at school, and it wasn't like everyone at school _didn't already_ think they killed people on a daily basis.

"That… um… un." Was all Deidara could really get out.

_"You don't _have _too, obviously. You just have to dig up my body and bring it here."_

"Thanks for giving me a choice, un."

__

"No problem."

This person… he… he just grated Deidara the wrong way! Metaphorically, of course. Ghosts weren't cheese graters.

"And why can't you do this yourself, un?" He asked, extremely annoyed with himself for just not pretending he'd never heard the ghost - Sasori, he mentally reminded himself, was the ghost's name - and gone about his daily business.

__

"My soul is tied to this house."

That… made… some sense.

"You used to live here or something, un?" He asked.

_"Yes, and your never ending pile of questions is beginning to annoy me. I don't like waiting. _Will _you help me or _won't_ you?"_

"I guess… I guess I'll help you, un."

* * *

Um.. So wow. Hey guys, It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry about the lateness. All I've had the motivation to do lately is play The World Ends With You and think about TWEWY, etc. It seems I've gotten my muse back for this story, though, and the words are flowing quite freely now, something which I'm very glad of, because this is my baby.

If you've noticed, I've made a few changes to the story. I've changed all of Deidara's 'yeah's to 'un's. Originally, I had it that way because this is set in suburban Chicago, and I wanted them to speak in proper English. I decided today, however, that I liked his 'un' better, so I've changed it to that. I've also changed the title of chapter one, but I don't think most of you care that much about that.

So. Sakura. I happen to like Sakura, unlike most SasoDei OTPers. Yes. She's Deidara's friend. Best Friend. I happen to believe that they could be good friends if Deidara wasn't Akatsuki. That doesn't mean that I support DeiSaku, however, and there will be none of that in this story, except harmless flirting, which _my_ Deidara does quite often.

I'd like to, while I have your attention, to warn you about something.

Throw out all of your prior beliefs about the afterlife (or lack of) whilst you read this story. I'm making up my own laws of the universe. They're not _religious_ in any way, but they could offend some people. My world is based more on a set of morals, and there is only one rule, and one way for you to have _any_ form of afterlife at all, which you will see explained later in the story.

That being said, I just wanted to warn you all, because some people might not approve of stories where things such as this are mentioned. I hope you'll continue to read this story, and remind yourself that these _are not_ my views, they are simply the rules I have created. Also, this story is not about murder for the sake of revenge. Sasori's reasons will explain themselves in due time.

Also, if you've ever been to the NarutoFan forums, join the SasoDei fanclub. I think it's dying, and I need people to help keep it alive. Plus, it'd be cool getting to know some people that read this.

Well, see you next time, when I'm sure the Author's note will definitely not be as long as this. I just needed to clarify some things that may or may not have needed clarifying.


End file.
